>> this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. i'm jonathan betz with the top stories. major mighting for fallujah as al qaeda militants seize control of a key iraqi city. >> violent outbreaks cause families to flee their home in the south sudan. >> and the abundant hawaii sun - now providing too much energy. >> this is a fight that belongs to the iraqis, that is exactly what the president and the world decided some time ago when we

left iraq. >> john kerry this weekend speaking about the escalating violence in iraq, saying the u.s. will not be putting minister soldiers on the ground. a stripping of car bombings killed 18 in baghdad. the iraqi government and sunni tribes have been trying to slow the influence of the al qaeda fighters. we have the latest on the fight to gain control >> after a standoff the iraqi army is ready to go into fallujah and fight the group i.s.i.l. the agreement to do so was heartfelt. local sunni tribes insisted they be part of the decision, and others disagreed saying i.s.i.l. was protecting fallujah. it's an example of the fighting between sunni and shiite factions. >> translation: there's increased coordination between

the army and tribesman. the army provides the tribes with weapons and everything they need in the battle against the terrorists. it may be resolved in one or two days. >> that may be optimistic. the iraqi army sent out video. they are limited to the cities. others are in the desert on the border of syria, and getting rid of insurgents there are worrying. adding to the worry are the critics. prime minister. >> translation: we call on the people to meet the demands of the people. if there's an escalation of violence in iraq, worse things may happen, especially because of what is happening in the region. >> the reason for the criticism is simply, general elections are scheduled late april. all the parties will be looking for the best position they are.

it's a fact underscored by series of car bombs ripping through the capital on sunday. >> earlier we spoke to richard barrett a former al qaeda team chief and says the iraqi prime minister needs to reach out to the country's sunnis. >> nouri al-maliki is right. you have to we take control, you can't let them take those places in ramadi and fallujah, but the second is to work out why people are unsatisfied with the people in baghdad. it's only 30 miles away from baghdad, for goodness sake. and what policies are needed to make people in anbar province feel they are part of the iraqi state. >> thousands ever families are fleeing in bor, heading north. that's where most of the displaced people are located. talks on ending the conflict in

south sudan started in the ethiopian capital. there's more on the talks and the prospects of peace. >> by the thousands they arrived at the u.s. base in juba, the only refuge they can find. more than 1,000 people have already died. 200,000 others are on the move because of fierce fighting between rebels and the south sudan es army. the hope for peace lies in ethiopia when negotiators are trying to thrash out a deal. >> we envisage agreement, cease fire arrangements in order to create a conducive atmosphere. our people have suffered a lot during the struggle for independence. they do not suffer again in our hands. >> the rebel delegation is striking a cautious tone, making a list of the demands, including the list of its leaders. >> with the current mass

killings going on in the country and political detention, there can be no conducive atmosphere. >> the conflict is drawn along ethnic lines. in july, the president salva kiir who is dinka dismissed the vice president riek machar who is from the nuer community. rebels supporting the sacked deputy president fought for control. the violence spread across the country. >> we need a cessation of hospital ilties. that must happen now. people are suffering and dying. we went afford to tolerate people suffering in that way, why politicians haggle. >> after several days of delay both parties meet at the table on sunday, but history is not on their side. for generations the two tribal group battled for dominance and resources. they have to decide how to bring

peace to the world's youngest nation. that will not be easy. >> let's dive into this with omash ishmael with the center for american progress, with us live from massachusetts. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> the first big question, the talks have been long in coming, will they lead to peace? >> i do hope so. there's no way out of this conflict through the war. they have to come to terms with the political situation and with the situation that is happening today and the displacement in the country that are, according to the u.n., figures reaching over 200,000. they have to come to terms with each other and resolve this ammicably and bring stability to the south. >> secretary of state john kerry worries the talks could be used as a gimmick and to keep fighting. is that what is at work here.

>> it could be true that they are just trying to jockey for position on the ground so they can have a better position in the negotiation table. however, i think the - with the international pressure mounting on both sides, i think they are coming to the table trying to reach an agreement. what we need to see now is the pressure of the international committee continuing until we reach a settlement on this issue. >> what gives you the indication that the international community pressure is making a difference to the leaders. the gun fights continue. violence continues. what makes you think that the two sides are willing to consider peace? >> this is a very fast-moving conflict, and the fact that they manage the to come to the table, i think, is something that is good, and an indication that both sides want to reach a settlement. so we need to encourage them to get there and have the business

of the people above their own interests much >> let's talk about the hundreds of thousands of people suffering right now because of the conflict - close to 200,000, the latest numbers from the u.n. have we seen any improvements in their position. do you feel enough aid and help is getting to that country. >> let us remember that the south sudan is a land-locked country, and they need to bring this humanitarian assistance from other countries, it will not be easy, it is expensive and, you know, more than just costly - the facilities are not there for airlift or anything of that kind. it will take some time for the u.n. troops that are almost doubling in size to come to the country, and the police, over 400 more international police that were supposed to be sent to

the south, and humanitarian assistance. that is why we don't see improvement now, it will take time, but in the next few weeks we'll be able to reach some of these people. >> peace talks will take time, humanitarian help will take time, that's not what most people have. thank you for your insight today. >> fighting continues in northern syria for a third day. groups are clashing with al qaeda-linked militants. zeina khodr tells us why the group is not welcome by many of syria's rebels. >> syria's armed opposition is pushing forward with what seems to be a coordinated offensive in the iraq, by the i.s.i.l. a war has been declared by some rebel forces who believe i.s.i.l. is not working for their revolution.

the foreign fighters created many states in many areas in the rebel-held north, imposing their own laws, which many in the opposition believe are brutal. i.s.i.l., for its part, has threatened to withdraw its fighters from the front lines if attacks against it continue, warning that regime forces will be able to retake aleppo. >> in an audio recording the i.s.i.l. said it was being stabbed in the back by some groups involved in a conspiracy that seeks to get rid of al qaeda before planned peace talks in geneva. rebel commanders deny they are waging this war on the behalf of the international community. some believe it has to do with geneva. >> they are fighting over who will be the negotiator with the regime. there's no unified position.

there's a lot of infighting to produce a negotiator. >> the syrian national coalition, the main political opposition in exile threw its support behind the battle, asking the international community to recognise what it said was the importance of supporting revolutionary forces as partners in the fight against al qaeda. >> the syrian conflict spread through the region, and so has al qaeda's region. the islamic state of islam and levant emerged a few years ago. it was allowed to set up a base in syria, and now has a presence in lebanon. it claimed responsibility for the latest attack against the armed political group hezbollah. the war against i.s.i.l. may not have only been declared in syria. authorities in iraq and lebanon are trying to wipe out the group.

this may not be an easy battle - another reminder that syria's war does not have borders. >> to another big story, the extreme weather in the united states is called an arctic vortex and is bringing cold temperatures south from canada through the northern parts of america. these are scary temperatures we are talking about. >> these are deadly. as you can see, there's nothing up here besides cold air. we haven't stormed to the south. a lot of snow to the south. these are current temperatures. >> fargo minus 15. bismark minus 13. these are the gusts across the region. 37 minneapolis. the cold temperatures makes it feel like we are seeing some really extreme temperatures across the area. let's take a look at what is happening with the wind chill temperatures. look how cold they get as we go

down towards 9am. minus 59 degreesly tomorrow afternoon. we are looking at a dangerous situation. i think we could be seeing minus 70 in some locations. chicago minus 43. notice how it extents down here to the south-east. that is something new we didn't have yesterday that we have today. that shows the progress of how the cold air will move on. it's not going to be until we get to monday or tuesday that the temperatures begin to moderate and go back up. >> thank you. from montana to memphis to main, the big chill could prove dangerous. kimberley duke art is here. how is the nation coping? >> the plunging temperatures posed risks for people in the open. water freezes at 32 degrees farenheit and salting roads does not work at around 0 degrees.

once it drops to minus 10 frostbite can occur. at negative 30 your car's antifreeze may not work. at minus 40, frostbite sets in. >> the first sign is tingling, loss of sensation, pain and complete loss of sensation. >> avoid cotton and where fabric keeping water away from the skin. >> metro schools in michigan will delay the start of classes. minnesota closed schools on monday for the entire state - the first time it's been done in 17 years. some cities and wisconsin follow suit, including maddison, and some districts in iowa.

at a press conference chicago residents were asked to look out for vulnerable neighbours. >> we are asking the public to help us out by checking in on older frail neighbours or relatives, particularly those with disabilities, poor health and those isolated from friends and family. >> nearly 10,000 flights have been delayed and cancelled. it significant delays at - new york's j.f.k. shut down earlier this morning after a plane skidded off a run way. there were no injuries on board the delta flight carrying 35 from toronto. >> in north dakota people are advised to stay at home and off the roads unless necessary. >> hold off on getting groceries without the necessities. don't go on the road because there's no need to leave the house if you're - if it doesn't

warrant an emergency. >> and the n.f.l. play-off game in green bay, expected to be the coldest in the league's history. more on that later in the show. >> thank you. i don't know if the bands will show up. there is not a problem with cold weather in hawaii. but the abundance with sunshine is causing a problem for the power grid. more from honolulu with that story. what is going on? >> it's a combination of sun and the solar stampede here in hawaii proving too much, too fast. >> drive down almost any street in and around honolulu and you'll see solar panels on nearly every roof top. with an average of 270 sunny days and the most expensive electricity rate in the country, three times the national average, it's easy to guess why. the sun is ipp exhaustible

resource. hawaii answered the call, leading the nation in solar energy, with home owners, like the walkers, spending a lot of green to go green. >> we paid $35,000 for the 18 panels we have. >> the panels installed in october were supposed to reduce the walker's bill of $250 to around $20. three months later the solar system sits dormant and the walkers along with hundreds of others find themselves stuck in solar limbo. >> the rate of installations became so large and so fast. >> so william walker's system can't be hooked up to the grid. he's angry at hawaiian electric. >> the response you're on a saturated circuit. if we have to upgrade the cirque et or conduct studies, that's a cost to you. >> the utility says the state's solar boom is overloading the utility grid.

we are an isolated grid. >> since 2008 solar installations in the state doubled every year, using the utility unprepared for the shift. many see the utility's policy of not connecting systems as a dark cloud over hawaii's move towards green energy. >> it's not just about my house and my solar panels, it's a bigger issue affecting the island. >> the founder of inter-island solar supply agrees. he is not just worried about business dropping off, but worried about hawaii's leadership in alternative powers. >> we have more solar water heaters than any state. here is an example of heading

towards sustainability where we need it most, and if it doesn't work in hawaii, it ain't going to work anywhere. >> henry curtis says hawaii electric is facing bigger problems. if home owners hook up unauthorised systems, this can be dangerous for an overloaded grid. >> the problem the utility is facing is if they refuse to interconnect the systems, some home owners will do it anyway - they are called rogue systems. it's a national problem, but it's really big here. that will be increasing >> with the state mandate that 70% of hawaii's electricity come from renewable sources by 2030, it's clear the solar issue will heat up as home owners wait for the utility company to catch up. >> hawaiian electric says it's working hard to come up with a

fix or solution and hopes to have something in place by the spring. >> thank you jennifer london. >> still ahead on al jazeera america - dangerously frigid temperatures in green bay for one of the coldest games in n.f.l. history, be right back.

all righty, time for sport with michael. i'm wondering if anyone will show up for the games because it is so cold. >> it will be packed. you don't keep fans from the football regardless of the weather. >> all right. >> football players considered themselves to be the toughest athletes in the world, not just because of the nature of the sport, but the elements in which the games are played, wind and rain, cold and snow, the games go on. such is the case as the green bay packers host of the san francisco 49ers in single-digit

temperatures at lambeau field. this situation is nothing new for the n.f.l. or green bay. a famous game is memorable for the conditions and the outcome. the 1967 n.f.l. championship between the packers and dallas campbells was known as the icebowl as the freeze was frozen due to temperatures of negative 13 degrees and a windchill of minus 31. that was the coldest day in history. packer fans grabbed shovels on friday to clear the snow in lambeau field. this ritual of sorts goes back for decades in green bay. packers' fans will always be there to support the team. >> i'm going to the packer game. i'm up for it. >> i'll have pockets of hand warmers and as many layers as i can put on. >> layers and layers - maybe

coffee too. looking forward to it. i hope it's world than 13 below so i can talk about it forever. >> as a rule the n.f.l. does not have a weather policy relating to extreme temperatures - hot or cold. the only times games have been delayed or rescheduled has been due to lightning or hurricanes, out of the safety concerns. it doesn't mean that the cold can be dangerous. >> below freezing, a couple of hours can do you. you can get hypothermia, but you can get the frost bite and chill blinds. people don't realise what that is, a chill blain is when you get cold, heat the body up and the blood vessels contract, expand, causing pain. it takes about two weeks for that to go away. you have muscles and all things in the body, think about them like putting a rubber band in a freezer. when you put it in a freezer it

gets stiff. think about the joints you have to deal with after you have this type of freezing weather. you have the thick possess of the fluid in the sin obviousium, in the -- cynovium, in the joint. you can have problem with asthma, cold air comes in quickly, lungs are supercold and they restrict. not only mentioning blood vessel and the heart is restricted. that's a problem with the players, and hopefully not the people in the stand. >> extreme cold weather games are nothing new for the n.f.l., dating back to the 1967 ice boll. >> in 1962 the game between the bengels and charges hit the 9 mark. the chiefs hosted colts. all the fans tell you the game in green bay will receive free

handwarmers, coffee and hot chocolate. >> whether will be the least of concerns when they meet in the bowl championship series for auburn, and the the rose bowl in pasade pasadena, which is where ross shimabuku hangs out. regardless, it's a great outcome for auburn to reach the b.c. l game. >> it's been an unbelievable turn around. remember, they were 3 and 9 last season, did not win a single conference game and fired the head coach. in comes the new head coach, and the auburn tigers are playing for a championship. a lot of people are calling this team the team of destiny because of two miraculous plays. >> first it was the prayer at jordan hair. 38-37, 36 seconds left in the ball game. riccardo louis called in this hail mary to nick marshall for a

go-ahead touchdown as the tigers pulled off a 43-38 history. >> what did the ball look like as it dangled in the air? >> like a bag of money. if you see a bag of money in the air you grab it. >> everybody thought that was the play of the year. the following week auburn pulled off another miracle dubbed "the kick six", >> there is davis, running all the way back. auburn is going to bin the football game. he ran up the field. >> chris davis returned the kick 109 yards as the tigers knocked off alabama 34-28 in the iron bowl. from that point on life has never been the same. >> it changed a little from signing more autographs, taking pictures and standing ovations in class. >> the reaction when it happened - it makes me smile and happy knowing i made everyone

else happy. >> because of the two miracle plays, davis and louis grace the cover of "sports illustrated", i see it online, but to get it in my hands is a great picture. i love the picture, cool, calm, collected. >> you guys feel like you are the team. >> yes. you knew that we were destined to be where we are now. >> christ davis and riccardo louis have been rock stars on campus and here in southern california. here at the rose bowl, where it is a toasty 75 degrees and sunny. >> thank you for rubbing it in. enjoy the game. >> another note to pass along, the university of texas hired a new coach. the biggest job goes to charlie strong oh who had a lot of

success. >> emergency crews at the seen of a plane crash at aspen colorado. the latest next.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz with the headlines. in baghdad a series of car bombs kill as many as 18 people. the attacks targeted a predominantly shi'a neighbourhood. >> israeli forces battle for fallujah. u.s. will support them but will not put troops on the ground. >> millions are bracing for the coldest weather in decades. by wednesday half the nation will have experienced bitter cold temperatures of 0 degrees. >> a small plane crash at the aspen colorado airport killing one person. the plane, a bombardier challenger 600 was on route to

aspen. eyewitnesss saw it trying to land. >> a vote on whether or not to extend unemployment benefits. it expired on december 28th, hitting 1.3 million americans hard. >> jenny zaner, professor of political signs and campaign management at n.y.u. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. happy new year. >> not a good new year for a million americans losing unemployment benefits. congress meeting to extend it. do you think it has a chance. the senate has been saying the leaders are optistic this will happen. i'm less optimistic. end of the new year, an agreement, it was felt congress would come back and be active. if you heard harry reid, it did not sound hopeful. they need five republicans to join them.

unless they are willing to strike a deal, it may not happen. >> what went wrong? why? >> the republicans say if you extend this it will cost billions, you have to pay for it. >> democrats say this has been done 14 out of 17 times without paying for it, it should be done again. >> if republicans raise the idea of cutting funding elsewhere, is there wriggle room for the democrats. >> harry reid is saying he doesn't want to deal on it, he wants to pass it. if it passes the senate, it has to go to the house, and john boehner again said it has to be paid for. everyone supports the extension, but if you pay for it, and how. do you raise taxes? is it >> will it become a bigger issue closer to the elections? >> democrats want to do everything but talk about health care. they want to focus on

inequality, which is what they think will bring in the voters. they want to talk about unemployment benefits, minimum wage, health care. if the republicans are smart, they'd extend this and move to health care. i don't think it will happen. >> and janet yellen, poised to be the first female chair of the federal reserve. how big a deal is that? >> it's a big deal. ben bernanke stepping down and arve hjelse janet yellen with a lot of respect. many say she'll continue ben bernanke's policies but be more transparents. the confirmation will happen, they need a majority when taking the vote in the senate. it looks like we'll have our first woman in this position. >> but may not get the unemployment benefits. >> i could be wrong. >> we'll see what happens, as they say. thank you for your time.

>> african migrants began a 3-day protest in israel, asking for changes to the government's detention and work policies. tom arkerman has more. >> several thousand gathered outside to vent their grievances. they have escaped war and economic hardship. this man arrived three years ago from the darfur region of sudan. >> we have many different problem there. we come here to protect the country. >> the israeli government calls the 50,000 migrants that crossed the country through egypt, infiltrators. the government refuses to grant them refugee status. >> most of the migrants live in a legal limbo, subject to detention or working illegally under conditional release. have you few of them entitled to social services.

>> they are prisoners. the biggest thing is to check our asylum records in a fair and transparent way. give the basic human rights. >> israelis think the government is treating migrants fairly. >> translation: i have nothing against them, but we have so many problems of our own. the poverty in israel is great. >> meanwhile a new generation of migrant children is growing up and being educated in israel. the hope to be granted a secure place in a country built by refugees. >> doctors treating former israeli prime minister ariel sharon says he's fighting for his life. he suffered a stroke in 2006 and has been in a coma ever since then. ariel sharon was israel's 11th prime minister. >> the italian gavy said it res cured more than 1,000 migrants trying to reach europe. most were plucked from rough

waters off sicily. while the asylum seekers await their fate, a few bridge the italian society through soccer. >> it's a day of celebration in one of the biggest asylum seeker centres in europe. the afghan refugees, the first sunday of the year is like new year's day. to the other group of migrants in the same center, every sunday is especially, the first team made of asylum seekers to play in an italian junior football league. hailed as an example of integration, they say this is a way of winning their freedom. >> i feel happy. i feel good. i'm so happy, so proud of myself. >> i wanted my dream to come true. i play and i contribute.

they are 22 of the 4,000 migrants waiting to learn their fate in a former american military residence in sicily, turned into asylum seeking center. conditions are better than other centres around italy. asylum seekers are supposed to spend 35 days in places like this. some migrants told us they have been here for as long as one year, and don't know when they are going to leave or where they'll go next. >> real integration is next to impossible. >> they should speed up the asylum seeking process so migrants can leave. the longer they stay, the harder it is on all of us. >> the football team is a winner.

refugees know that being granted asylum is a different ball game. >> at least 16 people have decide in election-related violence in bangladesh. more than 300 polling stations from forced to close despite tight security heading to the elections. 300 parliamentary seats are up for grabs. the main opposition party is boycotting the vote. 50,000 troops are deployed. the u.s. and e.u. refuse to send monitors because conditions are not conducive to free and fair elections. >> calm in dhaka, no great rush to the polls on election say. the opposition's boycott in the belief that the ruling party is incapable of holding a free and fair vote meant this day would go the government's way. >> translation: i gave my vote

to continue the process of democracy and respect the constitution of bangladesh. >> the opposition held an election like this themselves. this time they should have taken part for the sake of the country. outside the capital a different picture of polling stations looted and burning. >> victims of political violence - hundreds are dead, thousands injured in the past year. many incident bystanders. violence that has been a feature of the bitter decades-long rivalry between opposition leader, a former prime minister under firtual house arrest heba afify, and begum khaleda zia, the prime minister, who didn't need to vote. her seat was uncontested. >> with an opposition declared national strike, the streets were quiet, eerily so. election day is normally a

festival. this was no ordinary election. among those i spoke to, a young man of a generation that expects more from politicians. >> we need a leader. we are lacking good leadership. in that case, a good leader can solve the problem easily. >> the outcome of the election is not in doubt. the question of legitimacy will hang heavy over the government's victory. constitutionally it's legal. and the government will blame the opposition for the boycott and political violence. add to that heavy international criticism, and it's clear that the government will struggle to establish credibility or popular mandate moving forward, leaving really only one likely prognosis for the months ahead. there may be more days when the streets of dakar are deceptively quiet. more days when the threat of violence keeps people in their homes and away from work.

more uncertainty in a country that desperately would have liked to put the turmoil of recent months behind it. >> at least 14 workers are dead, more trapped after a half-built apartment building collapsed in india, the latest disaster to draw attention to safety standards amid a construction boom. we have more. >> the harrowing sound of concrete and metal being ripped apart. the residential building under construction when it collapsed on saturday is hardly recognisable. rescue workers have little choice but to wait for a path to be cleared. and while they wait the authorities in charge are trying to figure out how to move forward. >> we reach over, but after

5 o'clock we are sitting. >> workers who escaped have come back to find those who are still missing. this man ran as fast as he could to get out of harm's way. he may be alive, but he's lost his livelihood. >> translation: none of us will be able to work here any more. i don't know what will happen now. but there's nothing left here for us. >> people who have invested their life savings in the properties are hoping that this is the wake up call the government needs. this woman bought the apartment in 2008. it was constructed by the same builder responsible for the structure that collapsed. >> i'm not surprised it happened at this magnitude. it's happened in the past. we've invested so much in the flat. it's a dream for everyone to have a house. now i'm afraid to live here.

my walls are hollow, it could collapse any moment. >> at the site of the accident sniffer dogs are called in. a worker looks through gaps in the rubble for signs of life. >> this is the latest in a string of building collapses in india. it will raise more questions about the state of the country's becoming construction industry and place more pressure on the authorities to not only assess the safety of old and tumbling structures, but new ones. >> still ahead - bicycle lanes in the sky may sound like science fiction. a designer in london sees them as hope for endangered cyclists. we'll be right backment

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz. bicycle lanes in the car seem science fiction, but it could solve problems, after a number of cyclists were killed in london. >> it's a london cyclists dream, a stream-line ride into the city without a car, bus or pedestrian in site. the high-rise track, dubbed sky cycle will run above the rail line, with the hope of transforming the city. >> we'd like cycling to become a recognised mode of transport. >> architect sam martin admits it would not be shape. estimates for the 220km network is in the billions.

it's not just a pipe dream. people are not committed to saying yes, we want to do it. we are committed to understanding how it could be done. >> cycling is popular. mayor boris johnson trumptd the 2-wheel mode of transport and wants to hear more about these plans. >> despite the push to get more on the bikes cyclists argue couldn't this be done to make the road safer. cycling lanes have been set up, for the most part cyclists are sharing congested roads with the traffic. >> cycling safety is a maimer debate after a spate of biker deaths at the end of last year. those we spoke to welcomed any way to ride safer but questioned whether skye cycle will go ahead. >> i love the idea. is it practical or cost

efficient. >> cycling is the way forward given the congestion in london. having a skye cycle scheme will be fantastic. >> it's stimated skye cycle could take 20 years to build and could become a model for other cities. a plan that designers admit will need high-level support. >> interesting idea. no doubt. >> seafood can be expensive. imagine spending tens of thousands of dollars for fish. that's what happened at the first tuna auction of the new year in japan. as al jazeera's dominic kane reports the high demand is raising environmental concerns. >> this is tokyo's fish market. perhaps the biggest in the world. it's the first blue fin tuna auction. new year and the pressure is on. usually the bidding is intense. last year one fish sold for a record breaking $1.76 million.

but then prices slumped. and this year's winning fish fetched 20 times less than last year's. >> i'm glad the congreat u lottery price for the bid is reasonable much i bought six delicious tunas, we can eat a lot, and well. >> japan's appetite for blue fin tuna is so great it accounts for three-quarters of the annual worldwide catch. much of the fish in this auction will end up in sushi restaurants across the country. high demand and overfishing means some market traders are worried things have taken a turn for the worst. >> we see slight signs of recovery. the total number of fish traded in the market is declining, remaining our concern. environmentalists say blue fin tuna stocks are becoming

dangerously depleted, and steps need to be taken to deal with the problem. but that is no concern for this year's winning bidder. he can look forward to feasting on his prize fish some time soon. >> expensive feast. a pair of florida twins has completed a 9-year journey through their home state. we hear about their adventure. >> i want to look here. >> from key west to pensacola and the 800 miles in between, the twins have seen just about every possible view of florida. it started as a whim. >> i said, "wouldn't it be nice to go to some of the spots in our area." she said, "why don't we make it a mission to do every single park in the state park system?" we didn't think we'd do it, but we decided to make it a mission. >> the mission - to visit all 151 state parks in victoria took

the girls nine years. when the 71-year-olds embarked on their adventure they this skeptics. >> they said we were crazy and that we'd finish. >> the miles caught up with them. >> years ago we would do the anuing and kayaking. >> their husbands were patient shofures as they travelled to forests, beaches and springs. the ladies are proud that they didn't get stung once by a mosquito. >> it's great to see the nice part of florida. we learned about the trees, animals, birds. we learnt the topography of florida is flat. >> in may 2013 they finished the trek. >> i'm sad we had no parks to visit. but we went and visited some of our favourite. >> it was a sense of accomplishment. >> they are among a group of

several dozen all-park visitors regarded by the state. >> a park services specialist for 34 years never met anyone that accomplished a similar feat until he met the twins, and wishes more people would look up from their gadgets to experience the great outdoors. >> we are a part of the system. >> we have to understand how we are connected to the natural world because if it fails, we fail. >> thesis terse and the journey can teach us all something. whether it helps inspire people to take goals. breathe in the fresh air, basket in the sunshine and innocently the view. >> good for them. keep on travelling. still ahead on al jazeera america - millions of americans are bracing for the coldest weather they have seen in decades. we'll have the latest. plus we'll tell you about the new residents of the windy city.

they don't mind the frigid cold temperatures. we'll be back.

>> welcome back, a majestic bird is getting a lot of attention in chicago. we explain why it is heading south. >> it is a bone chillingly cold morning on the lake shore. this photographer is hoping to capture a photograph of a snowy owl. >> the largest owls in north america, so they are just, you know, amazing, beautiful to watch, beautiful to spend time with. >> with its bright yellow sighs, black beat and plumage, it has a distinct appearance, the snowy owl. >> they gained noter itemy hedw. >> ago, in the harry potter series, seen in "the sors rer's

stone." >> owls are seen as spiritual, a wise owl. everyone wants to experience that. >> the arctic nomad appears in harbours around chicago, birdwatchers braved the elements no watch. their sense of hearing is so acute they can hone in on prey under vegetation and snow. >> experts at the lippingon park -- lincoln park zoo say food could be why he migrated south. >> they could have a lot of chicks because there's a lot of food. and after that the adults may be pushing the juveniles out of breathing territories, and they look south looking for food and moving outside their territory. >> a resource that helped to track snowy owl sightings is e-bird. the online database of bird sightings provides information on where the owls are and where

they are going. >> the first arrived in mid-november. because of the internet and how birds are recorded online, we knew to expect them. people were out looking for snowy owls before they were shown up. they were seen in other areas nearby. >> snowy owl numbers will likely increase, giving birders an opportunity to see them until late february and early march. >> if an electronic bird tracking does not sound appealing, there's always the zoo. >> well, the snow showers that are ahead of all of that cold air are beginning to move out here across parts of illinois, and indiana. we are seeing delays at chick , midway and detroit. these are counter temperatures. chicago at 13. look at indianapolis at 31,

going back to fargo, 45 degrees warmer than here in the north dakota. >> this is what i wanted to show you, the computer did not want to handle it. there's so much on here, but most is windchill warnings anywhere from montana to virginia. this will continue to make its way towards the east. the snow, a big problem. we'll see anywhere between 15 and 18 inches up here across the great lakes making its way into ontario as well, and then into parts of new york. here across the north-east we saw a lot of snow. we are beginning to warm up. we are getting rain showers, ice in the forecast. it will be a big problem. new york is 34 degrees, and we have an ice storm warning for most of pennsylvania, parts of new york as well as into maine. we'll keep you updated on this for the rest of the evening. have a great night.

>> this is al jazeera america. we are live from new york. i'm jonathan betz with the top stories. a series of explosions in baghdad kill 18. it include a car bomb debtonated in a predominantly shia neighbourhood. >> shia fighters have been battling tribal forces near fallujah. the u.s. will support the iraqi government but will not put u.s. troops on the ground. >> thousands of families are fleeing their homes in the south sudan city of bor heading north. that's where most of the displaced people are after fighting broke out between government leaders. election-related violence